The present invention relates to disrupter systems, and more particularly to a recoil controlled bomb disrupter.
It is known to provide bomb disrupters which disrupt or deactivate the bombs by blasting a high-velocity water jet against the bomb. A disrupter of known configuration includes a main hollow cylindrical barrel having a closed rear end portion and a sealable opened front end mouth portion. A water-tight explosive charge or cartridge is loaded inside the barrel at the rear end thereof and the barrel is then filled with water before the front end of the barrel is closed with a frangible water-tight seal. The disrupter is carried towards the bomb to be deactivated, for example by means of an automated remote control rover which is equipped with a video camera which allows remote visual inspection of the bomb as the rover approaches same. The disrupter barrel front end mouth is oriented towards the bomb along a selected direction, and the explosive charge therein is then detonated. Upon the charge exploding in the barrel, the water therein is propelled out of the barrel at high velocity (approximately at the speed of sound), rupturing the frangible seal closing the opened front end of the barrel. The thus ejected water then punctures the bomb outer casing at short range, and penetrates inside the bomb to damage the inner circuits and other detonating components thereof, to effectively deactivate the bomb. The high water speed is such that any tamper-proof detection means in the bomb does not have time to detect and prematurely detonate the bomb before the bomb is deactivated. Typically, a few milliseconds is what it takes to deactivate the bomb.
The problem associated with the above-described disrupter system is that the barrel will often be accidentally released brutally from its support on the robot to be backwardly projected, reactively under the counter-force or recoil of the explosive charge detonating inside the barrel and outwardly blasting the water. Often, such a disrupter severely damages or completely destroys the rover carrying it, and may also damage the video camera located on the robot, or other expensive equipment located thereon In addition to replacement or repair costs of the thus damaged equipment, damaging the video camera also has the drawback of taking away the available means to readily visually inspect the results of the water blast immediately after it has occurred, to verify whether the bomb has effectively been deactivated.
British patent NO. GB 2 299 156 A (published in September 1996)xe2x80x94hereinafter, the 156xe2x80x2 patent, shows in the embodiment of FIG. 6, a barrel 2, to the rear end of which is coaxially mounted a reaction absorbing element. Threaded connection occurs between the barrel and the reaction absorbing element. A bridge fits inside the reaction absorbing element, with a breech at the rear end thereof and a front air bore extending to the rear end of the barrel. A recoil cylinder array is mounted around the reaction absorbing element. Air channels provide air circulation between the front air portion of the recoil cylinders inside boring and the air boring extending between the bridge 16 and the rear end of the barrel.
It is clear from inspection of FIG. 6 of the 156xe2x80x2 patent that:
a) the radial channels are air passageways between the barrel inner chamber and the recoil cylinders inner chambers, i.e. they are not designed for water or other liquid flow, at any moment during operation of this liquid disrupter. Indeed, when explosion occurs at the level of the rear breech, the water present in the barrel will flow forwardly away from the radial channels, and the water present in the rearward portions of the cylinders will flow rearwardly again away from the radial channels.
b) the radial passageways open rearwardly spacedly from the rear end of the barrel, and never engage into the barrel inner chamber proper.
c) therefore, the recoil cylinders and the barrel are NOT in liquid communication with one another.
In such a disrupter arrangement as in the 156xe2x80x2 patent, the threaded connection constitutes a weak spot, since the threads will rapidly become stretched and deformed, under explosion borne air pressure loads, bringing structural fatigue and possible disrupter failure. Accordingly, such a disrupter device has low durability and low operating safety levels. Moreover this patent is made up of three main parts: the reaction absorbing element, the barrel and the cylinder array. Also, the (pneumatic) air pressure buffer zone between the liquid filled recoil cylinders and the liquid filled barrel, means that since air is a lighter fluid in mass per volume than water, under explosive load pressure force, the air will move toward the lesser resistance area i.e. toward the barrel and a very small fraction of the air will be expelled to engage into the recoil cylinders; hence, although reduced, there will still be some substantial recoil remaining.
Finally, in the FIG. 1 of the 156xe2x80x2 patent, is it noteworthy to mention that because of the illustrated small diameter size of the boring in the so-called plug, the radial flange and thus the disrupter itself is likely to be inoperative because the diameter of the central boring in the plug is much too restricted to enable enough air from the explosion to bring sufficient pressure to accelerate the water inside the barrel to reach the approximately 360 meters per second standard requirement for attaining minimal effective water jet speed to disrupt a bomb without triggering the anti-tampering built-in system of the bomb. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the boring diameter size would require such level of air pressure that the overall disrupter assembly would most likely disintegrate the first time it is used, due to its integrity being compromised, in particular due to stress applied about the threads linking the barrel, the plug flange and the device rear body portion.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bomb disrupter with a controlled recoil effect.
A corollary object of this invention is to prevent occurrence of collateral damage to the supporting rover of said bomb disrupter upon actuation thereof.
A general object of the invention is to enhance the efficiency of use of bomb disrupters by providing a bomb disrupter and supporting rover assembly which are reusable several times and is therefore long lasting.
The present invention relates to a recoil controlled bomb disrupter.
The present invention more particularly relates to a disrupter for deactivating a bomb comprising:
a main elongated hollow barrel having a closed rear end and an opened front end;
at least two recoil pipes equally peripherally spaced about said barrel, said recoil pipes being in sealed fluid connection with and outwardly and rearwardly extending on opposite sides of said barrel intermediate said front and rear ends, said pipes each having a first end opening into said barrel and an opposite opened second end at least partially rearwardly oriented;
a remotely selectively controlled trigger member operatively mounted to said barrel; wherein an explosive charge is to be placed inside said barrel near said rear end and connected to said trigger member, and said barrel and said lateral pipes are to be filled with fluid, and wherein upon the explosive charge exploding when it is detonated by said trigger member, a portion of the fluid is ejected at high velocity frontwardly out of said barrel to puncture the bomb outer shell and deactivate the bomb inner detonating components, and another portion of the fluid concurrently engages said recoil pipes to be rearwardly ejected out of said recoil pipes, which at least partly counteracts the rearward recoil resulting from the explosive charge projecting the water frontwardly out of said barrel.
Preferably, said recoil pipes each have a first channel section transversely rearwardly extending from said barrel inner chamber and a second channel section in continuous fluid connection with said first channel section and rearwardly extending parallel to said barrel inner chamber.
The invention further relates to a disrupter for deactivating a bomb comprising:
a main elongated hollow barrel having a cylindrical inner chamber, a closed rear end and an opened front end closed with a front frangible seal;
a channel member having a bore engaged by said barrel, said channel member being securely attached to said barrel;
at least two recoil channels equally peripherally spaced about said barrel, said channels having a first end opening inside said barrel inner chamber intermediate said front and rear ends, and a second end rearwardly opening out of said channel member and closed with rear frangible seals, said channels radially outwardly and rearwardly extending through said barrel and said channel member from said first to said second ends;
a remotely selectively controlled trigger member operatively mounted to said barrel; wherein an explosive charge is to be placed inside said barrel inner chamber near said rear end and connected to said trigger member, and said barrel and said lateral pipes are to be filled with fluid, and wherein upon the explosive charge exploding when it is detonated by said trigger member, a portion of the fluid is ejected at high velocity frontwardly out of said barrel front end, rupturing said front frangible seal, to puncture the bomb outer shell and deactivate the bomb inner detonating components, and another portion of the fluid concurrently engages said recoil channels, rupturing said rear frangible seals, to be rearwardly ejected out of said recoil channels, which at least partly counteracts the rearward recoil resulting from the explosive charge projecting the water frontwardly out of said barrel.
Preferably, each said recoil channel includes a first and a second channel sections, said first channel section extending through said barrel and said channel member in a radially outwardly and rearwardly inclined fashion relative to said barrel, and said second channel section being a recoil tube securely attached to said channel member and rearwardly projecting from said first channel section, said recoil channel second end being located at the rear end of said recoil tube.
Preferably, each said recoil tube is provided with transverse blades at their rear ends, for dispersing the fluid jet being ejected out of said recoil tubes.
Preferably, each said recoil tube is provided with a bored cap threadingly engaging its rear end, said cap holding said rear frangible seal and being provided with a transverse blade for dispersing the fluid jet being ejected out of said recoil tube.
Preferably, said barrel includes a radially protruding peripheral shoulder intermediate said front and rear ends, with said channel member including an inner peripheral channel member seat about said bore for seating abutment against said barrel shoulder, said disrupter further including an attachment ring axially engaging said barrel and including an inner peripheral ring seat for seating abutment against said barrel shoulder opposite said channel member, said ring threadingly engaging said channel member to securely attach said channel member against said barrel.
Preferably, said first channel section extends through said barrel and through said barrel shoulder.
Preferably, said barrel front end portion is provided with a securely attached nozzle holding said frangible seal against said barrel front end, said nozzle further having a convergent inner surface to accelerate the outgoing fluid jet.
Preferably, the nozzle inner convergent surface defines a 15xc2x0 angle relative to the axis of the barrel cylindrical inner chamber.
Preferably, said barrel rear end is releasably closed with a removable cover securely attached to said barrel, said cover carrying said trigger member.
The invention also relates generally speaking to a water gun comprising:
a main elongated barrel having a first inner channel for receiving and holding a volume of water and provided with a front water outlet end mouth and a rear closed end portion, said first channel rear end portion including a well for receiving an explosive charge;
a tubular array integrally mounted in radially outward fashion to a section of said main barrel intermediate said front and rear end portions thereof, said tubular array consisting of at least two elbowed tube members, said tube members being peripherally equidistant to each other;
each elbowed tube member having a forward portion, mounted to and radially outwardly and rearwardly extending from said barrel intermediate section and defining a second inner channel in fluid communication with said barrel first channel, and a rearward portion, projecting rearwardly from the latter tube forward portion and extending in radially spaced parallel fashion relative to said barrel rear end portion and defining a third inner channel in fluid communication with said second inner channel of the latter tube, each one of said third inner channels having a rear water outlet mouth:
wherein each of said second channels extend radially inwardly into said first channel, to define peripherally spaced water flow deflecting ribs located peripherally of said first channel; wherein upon loading a volume of water to fill at least said first channel and upon ignition of the explosive charge inside said well, a major portion of this volume of water is ejected forwardly along said barrel first channel and outwardly through said barrel front outlet end mouth, while a remaining smaller portion of this volume of water is deflected by said deflecting ribs and backflowed rearwardly radially outwardly into said elbowed tube members to be ejected rearwardly,
wherein the water gun recoil is controlled.
Preferably, the diameter of each of said second channels is identical to one another but diametrally smaller than any one of said first and third channels.
There could be added water dispersal members, each mounted to a corresponding one of each of said tube member rearward portion rear outlet mouths, said dispersal members for wide angle dispersal of water flow ejected rearwardly through said rear outlet mouths.
Preferably, there is further included a dynamic pressure sensitive frangible seal mounted to said front outlet end mouth of said barrel, and/or to said rear outlet end mouths of said tube members, in the latter case for use when the initial volume of water fills also said second and third channels.
The barrel front end mouth could be conical, preferably with a conicity angle of about 15 degrees, for reducing the barrel diameter at its frontmost end to produce a more powerful jet of frontward water flow.